Voters approved a county sales tax in 1985. How does that affect Wichita?

If Wichita’s proposed 1% sales tax passes, that won’t be the only sales tax money the city receives. It also gets a portion of the money Sedgwick County takes in via sales tax.

The county has a 1% sales tax that was approved by voters in 1985. Part of the revenue from that tax is divided between its 20 cities, while the rest goes to the county.

Of the money that goes to cities, Wichita receives more than half. In 2025, the city got nearly $7 million.

The citywide sales tax would bring in an estimated $850 million over the next seven years.

What do county sales taxes pay for?

Of the money Wichita gets from Sedgwick County sales tax, half goes into a construction fund for road, bridge and highway projects. The other half is credited to the city’s general fund to support property tax reductions, according to the city’s 2026 adopted budget.

Besides helping cities, Sedgwick County’s sales tax supports various county functions. When voters approved the county sales tax, commissioners promised to use 50% of the revenue the county gets from the tax to fund road and bridge projects, according to county spokesperson Brandon Zenner. The other half goes into the county’s general fund, to pay for general government and law enforcement expenses.

In 2025, the sales tax raised more than $121 million, with over $41 million going directly to the county. This was about a 5% increase from 2024.

Sedgwick County previously implemented an additional, temporary sales tax to pay for the construction of Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita. It took effect in July 2005 and ended in January 2008, raising $206.5 million.

How and where to vote in Wichita sales tax election

The Wichita sales tax would raise money for public safety improvements, homeless and housing programs, a projected 4-mill property tax cut each year the sales tax is collected, improvements to Century II and the convention center and a new performing arts center.

The tax would go into effect July 1 and would last until 2033.

The sales tax vote is a special election, set outside the typical August and November election cycle. Only people who live within Wichita’s city limits will be able to participate.

Early and mail-in voting are options in this election. Voters can check their registration status or polling location here.

Some poll locations have been temporarily moved for this election. Information about the changes are available here, along with the exact language voters will see on their ballot, information about early and mail-in voting, and more deadlines.